The challenges we face as a people and country, are permanent and vital. In this second decade of the century, one of them, for example, is to approach the knowledge that the researchers produce around the world, to schoolchildren in public schools and university students in the country, but who is responsible to do this?. On this occasion, who is committed to turning the challenge into a reality is the National Engineering University (UNI), which since 2009 runs the research project for the national schools access to advanced networks. The goal: to decrease the gaps.

The director of the UNI, Aurelio Padilla Rios, says: “Advanced networks are parallel to the Internet and fiber optics or wireless. It is an exclusive line for research and is available to all researchers in the world”, he explains.

The network node is in the university, and currently uses the IPv6 protocol, which enables wireless broadband installed up to 40 miles away. Three educational institutions benefit from this initiative: José Sabogal, Manuel Scorza and School No. 3052 in the districts of San Martín de Porres and Independencia, in Lima.

Children and adolescents in primary and secondary schools can develop applications such as video conferencing, virtual labs or specialized blogs, with advice from their teachers who were previously trained by specialists from the UNI. The university authority recognizes that due to good management of principals and teachers, the three schools can now offer this service to their students, however, that was convened to nine. For this reason, this year they decided to develop a plan to directly engage in educational management units, and expanding the network.

In the Province of Buenos Aires (Argentina), like in other countries in the region, we face the social impact produced by information and communication technology. This impact results in differences in the development opportunities of the population, causing a "digital gap" between those with and without access to information and communication technologies.

It is for this reason that the government, in the Bicentennial year, has inaugurated the digital cities, to effectively provide equal opportunities to all its inhabitants to have a fully integrated province.

In this framework, through the "Digital Province Plan Municipality by Municipality" will provide Social Internet services free and safe, providing in a first step, Social WiFi coverage to the main square of the municipality, thus regaining the public space as a place of family gatherings and neighborhood, and a Center for Digital Inclusion. Then, through the inclusion of remote sites are connected other areas of social concern such as schools, health centers, libraries, cultural centers and sports facilities among others.

The Social WiFi will have different navigation options according to the user's age and the purpose of use. These options are: • Free Navigation with access to all pages• Site Navigation government (national, provincial and municipal)• Navigation for children, which only allow the access to educational sites and games. This navigation option will be accompanied by instructions for parents to encourage responsible Internet use.

All of these forms will have restricted access to pornography, incitement to violence and discrimination. The illumination of the municipalities will be developed in stages, starting with the less connected localities to the most connected, thus achieving equal opportunities for all inhabitants of the province of Buenos Aires.

In a first stage, inaugurated in late September, there will be the "Digital Foundation" of 4 cities in the center of the province: in the pilot will have the service the main square of the Club Ciudad Bolivar and Bolivar, space that will open the first Centre for Digital Inclusion, the main square of General Alvear, the Cultural Center in San Jose Olavarria and the main square in Tapalqué.

In a second stage, scheduled to open in late December, will be held the "Digital Foundation" of 17 Municipalities, Social WiFi coming to 20 cities where WiFi Social "illuminates" the main square and open a Centre Digital Inclusion is located in an enclosed place chosen by the Municipality.

Finally, a third stage to develop during the course of 2011, once put in technical terms the new provincial network, there will be the "Digital Foundation" of the remaining municipalities, Social WiFi coming with all the municipalities of Buenos Aires Province, providing the service a public space and opened a Center for Digital Inclusion in each of them.

The company America Móvil Perú (Claro) won the bid to execute the project "Integration of Rural Areas and preferential social interest places to the Network Services - North Central" and "Integration of Rural Areas and Preferred Social interest sites to the Network of mobile Service - South Central".

In this way the company “Claro” will invest 32 million and 172,678 US$ in both telephony projects for rural areas in north central and southern Peru, benefiting thousands of residents living in outlying areas of the country.

The first project will benefit to 137,000 people from 69 districts of the departments located in north-central Peru such as: Ancash, Cajamarca, La Libertad, Lima, Huánuco, Pasco and Piura. Also, the second project will benefit to 81,000 inhabitants of 59 districts of the departments located in the center south area of the country, such as: Apurimac, Ayacucho, Cusco, Huancavelica, Ica, Moquegua, Puno and Tacna. Both projects will directly benefit to 128 villages and 63 additional sites with coverage of mobile and fixed subscribers. In addition to 675 villages will get benefit indirectly.

America Móvil will provide all necessary infrastructures for the provision of mobile services and fixed telephony service in the selected locations, operate and maintain the infrastructure, and develop awareness and dissemination to the public on the use of services.

America Móvil Peru will sign a financing contract with the Investment in Telecom Fund (Fitel), whose term of validity is five years. However, after finishing the contract, they should continue providing services during the term of the respective concession contract.

Also,through an
agreement signedbetweenAnses,
the NationalBankof Argentina andMicrosoft,
there was created afundfor thedonationofcomputersto senior
centers which
belongs to the
Trainingand
Social Integration Program,
which has
alreadyreceivedover 350computers
throughout thecountry.Thus, “we
are in the way to
consolidate the
processofinclusionof older
adults, improves the accessto benefitsandAnsesdigital
services",
saidBossio.

In order to enable access to integrated telecommunications services to various districts in the Ancash region, the Antamina Mining Fund (FMA) and the company Telefónica Movistar, in the framework of its Program “Intégrame”, delivered infrastructure and equipment to a wireless base station in the District of Pampas Chico.

This is the third delivery that enables the access to telephony services, mobile and public services, to the residents of the town of Conococha, Pampas Chico district and the towns of Catac, Recuay province which belongs to Ancash Region. The investment committed for this work by the Antamina Mining Fund is valued at US$ 195,500, and in the case of Movistar the investment was US$ 53,000. Thus, Movistar is committed to provide mobile services and fixed wireless. Also, this company will oversee the maintenance and operation of the wireless base station.

It is estimated that more than 20,000 inhabitants in the Valley Fortaleza, covering nine districts and 95 towns of the provinces of Recuay and Bolognesi, are being directly benefited from this project. Furthermore, it is providing service to many people that circulate through the area in the direction of the road Pativilca - Huaraz, as well as tourists who are visiting this area, especially Conococha Lake.

Intel ® Teach Program is a worldwide effort to help teachers experienced in education and students, to integrate technology into their classrooms to develop higher thinking skills of students and enhance learning. The participating teachers receive training and resources to promote the effective use of technology in the classroom.

Teachers learn about how, when and where to incorporate technology tools and resources to their lesson plan. In addition, experimenting with new approaches for implementing lesson planning tools and focused on learning goals and the official curriculum. The program incorporates the use of Internet, Web page design and student projects as vehicles for meaningful learning.

For over a decade, Intel Teach Program has helped to primary and secondary school teachers, around the world to understand how, where and when to bring the tools and technology resources into their classrooms. Up to date, the program has trained more than four million teachers in over 40 countries and is committed to reach 13 million by 2011. TheIntelTeachProgramin
LatinAmericais currently offered inArgentina,
Brazil,
Chile,
Colombia, Costa Rica,
Mexicoand
Peru.

The benefited students belongs to rural areas and low income families across the country.Education in Peru is progressing, and does so with the program "One Laptop per Child” (OLPC) that attempt to democratize the use of the internet with the delivery of a computer to poor children.

It is two years since the OLPC started this ambitious project, which has benefited over 871,000 children from 9,864 schools in the country. Now, all of them study hand in hand with the information and communication.

According to the general director of Educational Technology of the Ministry of Education, Oscar Becerra, "the daily use of this important technological tool has made that children significantly improved their reading comprehension and logical-mathematical work".

The results were obtained by the Ministry of Education (Minedu), which implemented tests of motivation and reading comprehension to students of primary schools in rural areas favored with "One Laptop per Child program", which will help more students in the next year.

This
is the Act C 124/10, 174/10S, "through which they will enact tax
laws to control and for the competitiveness", and they will
remove the VAT for Internet services in the economic strata 1, 2 and
3. This decision contributes significantly to the implementation of
the technology Plan "Vive Digital", which has as one of its
most important goals to increase from 2.2 million to 8.8 million the
Internet connections over the next four years.

"The
approval of the elimination of VAT for Internet services in the
economic strata 1, 2 and 3 is a very important step to implement the
plan "Vive Digital". We are committed to increase this
service adoption, so the Colombians can access to the Internet and
technology, and they can use Internet in their daily lives, in
schools and in the microenterprises. Also, the technology will be in
the life of every Colombian", said the ICT Minister, Diego
Molano Vega.

The
Plan "Vive Digital" is a proposal designed with the goal of
bringing technology to the lives of all Colombians, especially those
who are no longer connected, as those households from strata 1, 2
and 3, small entrepreneurs and traders of the country.

"Digital
Experience" will feature about 5.5 billion pesos and seeks to
give Colombia a technological leap over the next four years through
the massive access to Internet and digital ecosystem development of
the country. This initiative will promote the expansion of
infrastructure, building services, application development and
technology appropriation by users.

In a conference, Guido del Toro, Director of the National Telecommunications Corporation (CNT) of this town, after an annual report, announced that the projects will be implemented in 2011, which will benefit the counties within the province, both, at ports of broadband internet as telephone lines.

Del Toro said that in 2010 they have been conducted a study to determine the type of project that requires the cantons according to the demand and estimate the necessity and implement the required projects.

Among the recipients are several parishes and districts of Latacunga, as Guaytacama, Joseguango Alto, La Calera, Lasso, Locoa, Santán, San Buenaventura, San Felipe, Los Hornos, Mulaló Pastocalle, San José de Poaló, Yugsiloma, San Carlos y Toacaso, this is the group that will benefit in the first quarter of next year.

In the second half, del Toro said that they will run several projects that will facilitate communication between cotopaxenses, through the implementation of telephone and internet ports, as have the internet service is no longer a luxury, but also a necessity, so that is one of the objectives of the corporation, to reach rural areas, he said.

This Community
Center will offeritsservices throughtheSimónBolívarsatellite, and it will be equippedwithfourtelephone linesand sevencomputers,forthe
first timeprovidesvoice anddataaccesstousersinthisborder community.
This project was achievedwiththe
supportofMTT of
Ureña, andthroughthisnew
formofcommunitycommunications,
it will be benefit8100peoplelivinginthe ElBolivarianoIIandthe surroundings area.

Students from Educational Complex of Huáscar will benefit with computer labs, with 21 computers and with Internet access. The delivery was made as part of the Program “Proniño” of Telefónica Foundation, an initiative which pretends to combat the child´s labor, through the education.

Telefónica Foundation presented two Computer Rooms that have, each, 21 modern computers with Speedy Internet access, desks, printer, slate and mouse pads to the Primary schools 70047 and the Polytechnic High school Huáscar of Puno.

To perform this important work, which will benefit to more than 590 adolescents, the company had to do electrical wiring, and improve the school infrastructure, which was made with the support of parents of the children of the school. This donation was made under the Program “Proniño”, supported by Telefónica Foundation. This initiative prevents the labor of children in Latin America through the education.

With the delivery of these computer labs, Telefónica Foundation seeks to improve the educational quality of schools and promote the educational use of technological tools, focusing on digital inclusion of children and adolescents to provide better development opportunities and access to decent labor market.

The Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Society, in compliance with the project "Universal Access Program" for the provision of equipment and connectivity for schools in the State, will formally provide 2322 computers in several cities of Ecuador, with the aim of contributing in the organization, execution and implementation of educational projects.

Whereas the Ministry of Education set the standard equipment that is delivered for at least one computer for every 25 students, among other technological equipment, the Mintel carried out a supply of computers to the Municipalities, Provincial Governments and Institutions for Social development in several Cantons, which will be distributed to schools of: Montecristi, San Lorenzo, Rioverde, Santa Elena and La Libertad, Costa; Nabón, Catamayo, Mira, Otavalo, píllaro, Gualaceo, Pelileo, Guaranda San Miguel, Caluma, Chimbo, Chillanes and Quito in the Mountain area, and Cascales, Mera, Pastaza, Santa Clara and Joya de Los Sachas, in the Amazon area.

These provinces were considered for the delivery of equipment, as they have been benefited by the National Government with the provision of connectivity and equipment.

All citizens of the community and surrounding areas will have access to technology services, which will benefit in carrying out their daily activities.

Underthe
regulation of taxforworks,
Telefónica
delPerúdeliveredtodayto
the Municipality ofIteimprovementand
expansionworks
for the telecommunicationsservices.
With
theopening
of theMinister
of Economyand
Finance - MEF
(IsmaelBenavides),
and the presenceof
theMayor
ofIte
District
(YsaulRivera),begananewstagethroughtelecommunications,
which will
promote
the developmentin
the locality.

Thispilot
projectwas
developed intheframeworkof
the Law29230,
which promotespublic
investment withprivatesector
participation.
Thus,
Telefónicabecame
thefirst
companyin
thetelecommunicationssectorindeliveringinfrastructureworkundertheregulation
which allows
to theprivate
sector
to swaptax
for works.
This measure is sponsored byProinversiónandMEF.

TheMinisterofEconomyand
Finance
(IsmaelBenavides)
congratulated to theauthoritiesofIteandTelefónicaof
Peru fortheimplementation
of this project,
which
he described as"successful"andexpressed
that he is sure that
thisisthe
firstof
manyinitiativesofthisnature.
"More
than
4,500residentsof6townslocatedinthedistrictofItewill
benefitwith
accesstocommunicationsand
integration into theworldthroughInternet.

Villagersandvisitorscouldenjoygamingtournaments, workshops,competitions,demonstrations, lectures, games,digitalart,gaming,freesoftware,liveconcertsandsportscar racingsimulators,whichwere heldfrom 9 to 12December at theCenterBanamex. Themore than7 million "Infinitum" subscribershadaccessto thecontentsand conferencesthattook placeinHamletDigitalTELMEX, throughProdigy MSNandtelmex.com.TELMEX
developed the infrastructure necessary for connection to have a bandwidth
at a speed of 20 Gbps, which represents the fastest Internet than ever
was before in Mexico and a major navigation capabilities around the world
for this kind of events. The
infrastructure is based on next-generation optical
technology to have a backup of 100% of traffic throughout the event.

There
were also exhibitions and demonstrations of new technologies hardware
and software manufacturers in the world including Apple, Blackberry,
Dell, Eccl, Gameloft, HP, Huawei, Intel, LG, Motorola, Microsoft, Nokia,
Nvidia, Sony and Toshiba.

Under this National Digital Plan Readiness, wich is running by Mintel, 1200 Community
Infocenters will be implemented nationwide, from which 797 will be
installed in rural areas and 403 in marginal urban sectors, in order to
encourage beneficiaries to use the Information and Communication Technology. The Social
investment for the project of Infocenters is US$ 14'500 000 and from this
week will be openned more like these sites, this project is available
in the portal www.infocentros.gob.ec for residents of each sector and the
public in general who would have full information on the infocenter. In
addition, a schedule of activities and various information related to
tourism, production, outstanding activities for each sector.

The
community of Campo Alegre has 700 people and Puna Viejo has 400
inhabitants, but around the country aims to generate direct employment
to 1200 Infocentros coordinators; indirect employment for 5000 people in
the stages of implementation, operation and implementation, as well as
three million citizens of rural and marginal urban areas with access to information technology.(Source: Mintel - Ecuador)Further details

With this project of education, the Dominican
Telecommunications Institute (Indotel) next to the Orange Foundation, and
Dynamic Stimulation and Digital Literacy (EDAD) have dual purpose: to prevent
cognitive decline in older persons and promote the use of technology systems
for social integration.

The convention was attended by the Chairman of the Board
of Indotel, Dr. David Perez Taveras; Indotel executive director, Dr. Joelle
Exarhakos, Mr. Andrés Ferreira and Manuel Gimeno from the Orange Foundation,
which discussed the possibility of implement this project without cost in the
digital classrooms that Indotel has created.

Older people form a group that
usually live outside of the Information Society, despite constituting an
increasingly important part of our population and have much free time at home, they
can take advantage of ICT access to information, administrative management or
shop online from home, contact with other seniors or their family members and
enrich their leisure activities. In addition, the use of computer requires a
proactive that can stimulate the cognitive abilities of older people but also
by helping to keep the mind in the exercise.

To meet these needs, researchers of the Department of
Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education at the Complutense University of Madrid
(UCM), with the support of the Orange Foundation, has developed this draft of Stimulation
Dynamics and Digital Literacy ( EDAD) and in alliance with Indotel to use
the Computer Training Center as a platform to teach these courses in the
32 provinces of the country, encouraging the use of technology systems for the
social integration and prevent cognitive decline in older people.

What is the Project “EDAD”?
EDAD Project (Stimulation Dynamic and Digital Literacy) is defined as a free
course, available through the Internet, for older people to meet and learn to
use the computer with a dual purpose: to prevent cognitive decline and promote
social integration through the use of technology systems. The “EDAD” Project is based on the design of a
specific methodology adapted to the needs of the elderly, offering a training
program that allows easy access to the world of technology and, in turn, strengthens
their mental functions as memory, thinking or solving problems.(Source: Indotel - Dominican Republic)Further details

Through
an interactive video link with students on the schools, which benefit
today, Hector Slim Seade, General Director of Teléfonos de Mexico
(Telmex) and the lawyer Alfredo del Mazo, Mayor of Huixquilucan, put
into operation four digital classrooms, as well as Free public access
places of Infinitum mobile Internet service on the esplanade of the City,
the Garden of Culture and two Schools of Bachelors.

These
digital classrooms will directly benefit to 3,900 students per month,
because these places are fully enabled with computer equipment,
next-generation broadband connectivity in 4Mgbps Infinitum and
educational software, developed by the company and the Technology
Institute of Massachusetts (MIT), for the optimum use and maximum
utilization of equipment. Moreover, with mobile WiFi service in
public places also benefits the general population of the town with a
tool for advanced communications technology.

The
opened digital classrooms are located in public libraries of Colonia
Palo Solo and Magdalena
Chichicaspa and in the Youth Care
Agency of Barrio de San Martín
and Colonia San Fernando.
These four digital classrooms have more than 109 desktop computer
equipment and laptops, printers and scanners, as well as video
projectors, cameras and video, monocular biological microscope,
interactive globe with pen and all the necessary furniture for
operation.

Through
these classes, they provide to children, parents, students and
teachers of schools; access to information technology through
workshops and complementary to traditional educational programs,
taught by highly qualified staff.

Similarly,
with the free operation of mobile Internet access in public places,
Teléfonos de Mexico, seeks, that the general public have free and
widespread access to global network of knowledge.

Like
the young people, many older adults seek to keep pace with
technological advances. This is the case of Norma Reyes, who at
75 years old can easily handle a mouse and surf in Internet.
"Three months ago I was the only one in my house who could not
use a computer. Now I can visit many web pages to entertain and
inform by myself", Norma says while she is browsing web pages of news, listening to music on her website referred to and chat with
their classmates.

She
is a beneficiary of Digital Literacy Program offered by the Home for
the Elderly in the Municipality of Jesus Maria (Lima) and is
taught by seven teachers, the most notably is César Taramona, 71
years old, and who argues that: "with great patience and
love the most old men of the house are overcoming prejudices".

Ernesto Fierro, 52 old, admits that some years ago he had the
opportunity to attend a course with young and older adults, and
the old people did not know even how to use a mouse. "It was
a shame to see them feel excluded", he recalls. That
experience allowed him to see that, except the houses for the
elderly in some towns, there were no places where people with his age
could learn the principles of the network.

Therefore, he established a Technical Center
for Productivity (Cetpro) “Linda Systems”, located in San Borja (Lima), wich offers free computer classes in a
session of two hours. People just need to show their ID and be
willing to learn.

In
2009 over 200 older adults followed the Digital Literacy Program of Jesus Maria. At these workshops, people learn to create an e-mail,
chat, video calls, using a USB and download photos from a digital
camera.

The Chilean government, Chile's
telecommunications company Entel and Ericsson are
together implementing a project to provide 3 million people in remote
rural Chile with mobile broadband and mobile telephony by the end of
2011. The first stage of the project - Rural Internet Network: All Chile
Communicated - was completed in September this year, by which time 1.7
million people had been connected.

Increasing mobile penetration and
reducing the digital divide will not only spur economic growth, but also
empower people in these low-income areas by providing them with all
that the online world can offer in terms of education, job creation and
improved quality of life.

In 2009, Entel and Ericsson won a
USD 45 million public contract from the Chilean government to provide
broadband access between 70 and 90 percent of the rural population. The
two-year end-to-end project includes deployment of core and radio access
networks for both 2G and 3G. Ericsson is building, integrating and
activating 2G and 3G at about 1,500 rural locations by deploying its
main remote base stations, many of the sites for which need to be
developed from scratch. Testing and verifying of the radio network to
ensure it is performing in line with regulator requirements is also
included in the deal, along with the microwave transmission solution,
MINI-LINK, a key component that enables a quick rollout of mobile
broadband in rural areas with challenging terrain.

Felipe Morande, Chile's Minister of
Transport and Telecommunications, says: "This advance in communication
is a historic moment because it will completely change remote rural
areas and open up opportunities for millions of people".

Richard Büchi, Corporate General
Manager of Entel, says that mobile connectivity will spur development in
many areas: "This project is vital for Chile's development because it
links rural zones to urban areas and to the rest of the world. Now our
focus is on getting as many people as possible connected so that they
can start benefiting from educational tools, job opportunities, and
accessing information - they're all important for quality of life".

Nicolas Brancoli, President of
Ericsson Chile, says: "This project marks a new milestone in
public-private partnerships in Latin America because we're collaborating
in the financing and the development of this connectivity plan.
Research shows that a 10 percent increase in mobile penetration in
developing countries leads to a 1.2 percent increase in gross domestic
product. We hope this project will reduce the digital divide and help
increase social and economic empowerment in Chile's developing
regions".

Venezuelan Foundation "Infocentro"
won UNESCO Prize "Rey Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa" for the Use
of Information and
Communication Technologies
in Education, the organization reported today. The Foundation
received the award along with the National Institute of Adult Continuing
Education in the United Kingdom, which together will pocket US$ 25,000,
according to the UN Agency for Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(Unesco) in a statement.Selected by the jury because of its
project "Literacy technology
for adults ", the
Foundation "Infocentro" promotes
adults and other users to free access to information and communication technologies, to be trained to learn to Throughout life, they said. The foundation
established infocentres in 680 schools around the country and launched a series
of teaching modules for high quality, designed for adult learners to improve
their computer literacy and acquire more advanced skills in information
technology and communication. The
winning projects were chosen from 49 nominations from 34 countries, one
intergovernmental organization, and the Organization of Ministers of Education
Organization (SEAMEO).Thus, Infocenter has allowed more
than one million Venezuelans, including many disabled person, having basic
technical knowledge now. The National Institute of Adult
Continuing Education (NIACE) in the UK is the largest NGO
dedicated to protecting the interests of adult learners in England and Wales,
they said.This year's edition of the award was
focused on the "digital basic instruction: to prepare adult learners for
learning throughout life and a flexible working life".
The General Director of Unesco, Irina Bokova, will present the award in an
official ceremony to be held on January 12, 2011 at the headquarters of the
Organization in Paris.(Source: CANTV - Venezuela)Further
details

The
site, which was launched on Monday with hundreds of thousands of
popular titles on sale and millions more free, will compete for a slice
of the market for digital books, valued at about US$ 1,000 million
and will continue to grow in coming years .

Google
eBooks, formerly known as Google Editions, represents a new opportunity
for the Internet giant to come face to face with two of its most
powerful rival, Apple Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. and open a new revenue
source besides online advertising.

"The
publishers want more competition in the market and we already have a
large investment", said Tom Turvey, director of strategic partnerships
for Google. "We're trying to extend the value of content that exists in the world by helping people to find it and buy it".

Users
can purchase books through books.google.com/ebooks and read them in
many devices, including tablet computers, smartphones and digital book
readers open format. On Monday, Google
launched applications to buy and read ebooks for iPhone, iPod Touch and
Apple iPad, as well as mobile devices that operate with your operating
system Android. Google eBooks will be available outside the U.S. from the first quarter of 2011.

The workshop on Teacher’s ICT-Competency: Developing the Knowledge Deepening Strand is taking place this week at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. International experts in the field of ICT in education gathered to develop syllabus and assessment benchmarks for UNESCO’s ICT-Competency Framework for Teachers project.

Today’s classroom teachers need to be
prepared to provide technology-supported learning opportunities for
their students. UNESCO’s ICT Competency Framework for Teachers is an
important guideline towards that goal. The objectives of this project
are:

to constitute a common core syllabus (defining various ICT
competency skills for teachers), which can be used to develop learning
materials;

to provide a basic set of qualifications that allows teachers to integrate ICT into their teaching and learning;

to extend teachers’ professional development so as to advance
their skills in pedagogy, collaboration and school innovation using ICT;

to harmonize different views and vocabulary regarding the uses of ICT in teacher education.

In a five-day workshop, international
experts gathered to further develop the ICT modules to move on from the
Phase I version to a more detailed syllabus, including assessment
benchmarks. The meeting was opened by UNESCO’s Assistant
Director-General for Communication and Information, Jānis Kārkliņš, and
the Assistant Director-General for Education, Qian Tang, who stated:
“This programme is very important for UNESCO, because teachers are our
priority and they are key for reaching the Education for All (EFA)
goals. Teachers’ ICT competency becomes an important element of teaching
and learning in the 21st century.

Discussions during the workshop reflected
the diverse backgrounds and experiences of the international experts,
coming from all regions and from countries with different levels of
economic development and ICT-readiness.

Jānis Kārkliņš stressed that “ICT-CFT has
already become an international reference document - the work of the
international experts will ensure ICT-CFT continues to be a valuable
resource to Member States.” The syllabus will undergo a broad online
peer review by some 150 additional international experts, plus another
UNESCO-financed review meeting.

The ICT-CFT project has been developed in
partnership with Cisco, Intel, ISTE and Microsoft. Its Phase I produced a
Policy Framework, Competency Standards Module and Implementation
Guidelines, which included syllabus approaches for the three main areas:
Technology Literacy, Knowledge Deepening and Knowledge Creation. Phase
II began in April 2010 to develop the next versions of the syllabi,
starting with the Technology Literacy strand and now the Knowledge
Deepening strand. The final workshop is expected to take place in spring
2011, to further develop the Knowledge Creation strand to provide a
complete international reference for teacher education.

The three booklets produced by Phase I of the project are available online:

The Ministry of Telecommunications through the National Telecommunications
Corporation (CNT EP), delivered 1,200 new
telephone lines to the city of Sucúa, jurisdiction of the province of Morona
Santiago. In the main coliseum of the town, they met
a lot of public, CNT according to the plans set for this year, began the
process to award a very significant amount of telephone lines that will benefit
the urban and rural towns.

Raul Auquilla Delgado, manager of
the CNT in Morona Santiago said that this task involves a group of employees
committed to progress and public welfare. With pride and
the satisfaction of accomplishment, noted, we stand infront of you today to
deliver 1,200 new communication solutions. Sucúa from the
beginning was our goal, although the province is in the same line.

We believe this is the ideal
place to announce new projects for our province. "The
technology we are running, such as fiber optic cord close to the rest of
southern country, will let us provide broadband Internet access", he said.

In the same way Freddy
Moscoso, Manager of the CNT of Caña, who on behalf of the General Manager of
the CNT, inaugurated and officially handed over this extension. Also, he
mentioned that Morona Santiago, as the Austro of the the country, remained for
many years in total abandonment in telecommunications,
forcing the CNT to establish new executable projects, whose results are visible
to everyone. Sucúa installed capacity, as of today, is
doubled.

It is clear progress in the field of
telecommunications, we note the change, now users can access Internet services
on broadband, and telephony have to communicate nationally and internationally,
it reaffirms the links of family memebers and why not say contribute
to the economic development of the population. That's
Citizen Revolution.(Source: Mintel
- Ecuador)Further
details

Mario
Beder, Secretary of State for Education and Training, and Guillermo
Ansaldo, president of Telefonica de España, have signed an agreement today
in Madrid by with the Spanish operator joins to the Pogram "School 2.0" and
launches, as a result thereof, the first flat Rate "Deberes" (Duties) for ADSL market, and also an additional one for Mobile Internet. Both
rates, which represent a substantial savings compared to those
available for other users, are particularly aimed at parents or legal
guardians of pupils in grades 5 and 6 of primary school and 1 and 2 of Secondary Education, and whose schools which develop School 2.0 Program.

Both "Movistar ADSL Duties" as "Duties Movistar Mobile Web" will incorporate
additional free services such as Canguro Net, a content filtering
service that protects users from inappropriate Internet content, and
Aula365, a tutoring service for children between 6 and 16 years old and incorporating multimedia resources for active learning and engaging.

During
the presentation ceremony of the Convention, the Secretary of State for
Education and Training, Mario Beder, highligted that "with School 2.0 Program The Ministry of Education not only encourages the
modernization of our educational system, but also through agreements such as
which we signed today is intended to
create all conditions for all students and their families have access
to the Internet universe on favorable terms".

"Movistar
ADSL Duties" will be free of charge in the instalation of the service, and for 16.90 euros per month the user will
have a flat rate of surfing - with 1Mb download speeds and 364kb upload speed -from
Monday to Sunday from 17:00 hours to 21:00 hours. Calls will be billed at the current rates. The service also includes free wireless router for rent, 5 mailboxes and Web space of 10 Mb

For
its part "Movistar Mobile Internet Duties" offers for 9.5 euros per
month flat rate unlimited data on the schedule from 17 to 21 hours,
every day of the week, through 3G/HSPA network, with maximum speeds of 7.2 Mbps download data, and 2Mbps upload. The 3G modem is free if you purchase a contract committing to stay for 12 months.Program "School 2.0"The
signing of this agreement is part of the development of the Program "School
2.0", a project that the Ministry of Education has been promoting since
September 2009 and aims at the integration of Information and Communication Technology(ICT) in schools.

The Ministry of
Information and Communications Technologies, through the appropriation
of ICT Division, will present "Internet safe". The
initiative aims to protect children and adolescents in the country from
all forms of online behavior that might damage its integrity.

The Viceminister of ICT, María Carolina Hoyos Turbay, will present the strategy
"Internet safe" on November 30. "Internet safe" is a proposal that integrates child protection issues on the
network as sexual exploitation, pornography and behaviors that affect
the integrity of children and young people in the network. The
strategy calls on citizens to actively participate in the prevention of
sexual exploitation involving minors on the Internet, to denounce, to
maintain a communication from parents, teachers and responsible adults
with children emphasizing the importance of safe and able to navigate and
enjoy safe.

The name INTERNET SAFE, seeks to identify the media campaign and create an icon that can be used by ISP (Internet
Sevice Provider) in its different pages based on Colombian thematic, is
a name that means that the Colombian state institutions are active and
pending to prevent child pornography. Further details in www.internetsano.gov.co(Source: Ministry of Information and Communications thecnologies (MINTIC) -Colombia)Further details

The
Minister of Telecommunication and Information Society (Jaime Guerrero
Ruiz) signed an agreement with the Director of the School
Cariamanga Portoviejo, Canton Province of Loja (Mr. Darwin Torres Jiménez), in
order to promote development of
Information Society and the Good Life in Ecuador, through the
technological and computer equipment in that school.

The
Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Society (Mintel), in order
to contribute to the organization, execution and implementation of
social projects, gave loan, loan application to Portoviejo
School: 17 computers with their respective voltage regulators, 17 mouse pads, and a printer, a digital whiteboard and a
projector that will be used to promote the efficient use of ICT,
benefiting 360 students and 17 teachers of the School Portoviejo.

In
the event of delivery, Mr. Jaime Guerrero highlighted how crucial it is
for the government to build links that unite
hearts and convey knowledge to nurture the intellect of children and
young people, present and future of Ecuador, to dream something
workable, stating that a child or a neglected child of cantons, as
Cariamanga, may be tomorrow, who directs the destiny of the country or
holding office as Minister of Telecommunications, which gives you the
opportunity to take decisions on behalf of the entire society equally and fairly.

For
its part, the Director of the School Portoviejo, Mr. Darwin Torres,
said, "In school we are celebrating today Portoviejo, we are ahead of
Christmas. We now have a modern, globalized education. Today more than ever we will take every opportunity of development and evolution through access to new technologies". As
a token of appreciation Mr. Torres presented plaques of appreciation to
the President of the Republic, the Minister of Telecommunications and
the Regional Manager of the CNT in Loja, Mr. Manuel Benavidez.

Lady Sarango, Portoviejo flagship school, thanked the President of the Republic, Econ. Rafael Correa, and telecommunications minister, Jaime Guerrero, by providing them with equipment and satellite internet. "This
technology will serve as support to interact, learn about different
realities and project as student development and progress of our
peoples," he said.

A
new 850 GSM radio base tower from Entel was inaugurated in La Paz,
Tumupasa in the province of Iturralde of the Department of
La Paz to provide mobile telephony services and public telephony, to Tumupasa as well as the surrounding communities of the region: San Silvestre, Esmeralda, Palestina, Rio Colorado and el Paraíso. So, with this new telecommunications radio base, more than 3 000 people will be benefit in this agricultural region growing. Tumupasa is located at the top on the road between the towns of San Buenaventura and Ixiamas.

The
new radio base tower corresponds to the expansion project under the rural mobile coverage
that Entel has been implementing in coordination with the Ministry of Public
Works and Housing Services, a project that aims to democratize the use
of telecommunications, not only for urban, but also for rural areas residents.

The
significant opening ceremony took place in the main square of Tumupasa
and was attended by Regional Manager Mr. Entel La Paz, Jorge Gonzales,
local authorities and the general public.

The
strategy "Vive Gobierno en Línea", a digital tend that for 6 months
trained over 71,500 people in the management of online government tools
in different regions of the country, won first place in the Public
Administration category of the awards Frida 2010, delivered by CEPAL. "Vive
Gobierno en Línea" traveled over 7,500 miles showing on the Colombian
that the Government Online program, from the ICT Ministry, works and also gives them
many benefits.

"Vive Gobierno en Línea" is a high-scale initiative that a country in the region has
implemented to promote the use, knowledge and use of information,
transactions and services that state agencies provide online.

"For Colombia is an honor to get this recognition. We
receive this award with the commitment to continue developing the online government in
the country, to ensure that citizens make effective use of these
services and thus easier to relate to the state", said the Minister
of ICT, Diego Molano Vega, about this distinction.

The
award Frida / eLAC 2010's main objective is to recognize research
initiatives and digital innovation that contributed to the development
of Information Society in Latin America and the Caribbean in recent
years.The
award FRIDA / eLAC 2010 is organized by the Internet Address Registry
for Latin America and the Caribbean (LACNIC), the International
Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Internet Society (ISOC) and the
Economic Commission for Latin America
and the Caribbean (CEPAL) and comes in different categories, thematic
areas of the Regional Strategy on Information Society, eLAC, and by
sector of activity.

The
National Telecommunications Corporation (CNT EP), pursuant to the provisions of
the Law Amending the Law of the Elderly and in accordance with the mandate
embedded in the Constitution of Ecuador, benefits more than 18,000 users of
older by applying an exemption of 50% in the basic rent of telephone
service and the implementation of special modules for care and recovery.
Requirements
Users should approach the Internal Revenue Service, IRS, to apply this exemption
and according the information provided by the regulatory body of citizens, they can determine who qualifies to be exempt and not pay the VAT; in addition to the
reduction of consumption by 50% in the basic rent directly.
Preferential treatment

Integrated
Services Centers, CIS, have physical space to care for the elderly in a
comfortable and appropriate place. If it is not feasible to go personally to do some
processing of requests for products or services of the CNT, authorize in
writing to a relative.

It should be noted that in case of death of the user, the privileges gained on the telephone line are automatically
lost . To be reinstated, it must
make the appropriate assignment of rights in the event that the new user is
elderly, and the process begins again.

Thus, the Ministry of Telecommunications through the CNT EP complies with
national government policies and the development of the good life of citizens, seeking to provide more and better telecommunications and connectivity services
throughout the country, backed a solid technology platform.

New
law addresses the weaknesses of the networks of telecommunications in
disasters, which were revealed in the earthquake of 27 February,
especially on backup power antennas, quality of communication services
and delivering timely and accurate information to citizens. In case of suspension, interruption or alteration of public telephone service and Internet, users will be compensated.

After
the earthquake on last 27 February, President Piñera assumed as one of its
commitments to restructure the country's emergency agencies and
creating an early warning system "to avoid repetition of dialogues,
confusion, ambiguity, we could observe that
although we had institutions in charge, none fulfilled its duty to warn
the Chileans and may have saved many lives", said the
president.

The presidential task
has taken a big step forward with the final approval of the National
Congress of the Law on Reconstruction and Emergency Telecommunications,
which was released yesterday unanimously for the enactment of the
Executive. The new body of law
creates an early warning system, following the best
practices implemented in the U.S.A and Japan, for accurate and timely
inform the public how to act in case of disaster.

At the
same time, the Act addresses the weaknesses and shortcomings in
telecommunications networks exposed after the earthquake happened,
increasing the demands on telephone and Internet companies, especially
in the field of energy support networks, service quality and
communication compensation to users regarding failures or interruptions.

On
this last point, the law grants public treatment and Internet service
provides automatic deduction and payment of compensation in case of
suspension, interruption or disruption of telephone service and
Internet. It also clarifies that the discounts and allowances should also apply to services with flat plans and prepaid.

In
this way, it seeks to ensure emergency service continuity in the public
telecommunications system, providing to the State the tools to coordinate
actions and have better infrastructure prepared, identifying critical
sites in the network that should have special measures security.(Source: SUBTEL - Chile)Further details

Telefónica and Nokia
launched the first organic commercial offering in the market, which includes
two of the most "sustainable" mobile devices: Nokia N8 and Nokia C7,
adapted by the Finnish manufacturer exclusively for movistar. This is the first
commercial release to materialize the overall project "Green Customer
Experience" of Telefónica, designed to offer customers a "green"
experience, since the device was shopping until the end of its useful life.

Spain is the first
country where Telefónica starts the project; the proposal will be coming
gradually to other countries where the Spanish company has a presence, like UK,
Germany, Argentina, Peru and Chile.

This
is the first offer "sustainable" integrated between an operator and a
manufacturer that links the use of wireless to save power and enables customers
concerned about the environment, access terminals made with innovative
materials and cutting edge technology and eco-design that minimizes
environmental impact, offered for sale also 100% recyclable boxes of smaller
size and organic content applications and ad-hoc.

The terminals have ecological
applications, reduced packaging, charger, high efficiency and final recycling
option. All this accompanied by an attractive commercial offer that rewards the
decision to buy this mobile service integrated.

Simple mobile technology, like basic cell phones, can be used to
save the lives of mothers in childbirth, and improve the care of
newborns and children, reaching underserved populations in remote
areas. The Partnership for
Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH) praises innovation seen at the second mHealth
Conference in Washington, and PMNCH Partners’ Forum in New Delhi.

More advanced mobile technology can do even more,
such as checking on patients, keeping records, improving diagnosis and
treatment in the field, and letting community health workers consult
general practitioners and specialists for guidance."With
mobile technologies for health, called ‘mhealth’ or ‘mobile health,’
we’re extending capabilities to where they don’t exist today", says
David Aylward, who heads mHealth Alliance, a partnership founded by the
United Nations Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Vodafone
Foundation.

"At the most basic
level, mobile phones can be used to keep track of people, call for
emergency assistance, remind them of appointments and share
information", says Julian Schweitzer, PhD, former Chair of The
Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Care (PMNCH) and the
Chair of the Finance Working Group for the UN Secretary-General's
Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health, launched in
September. "But then you can layer on things like check lists,
protocols, the steps to ensure a safe birth and action instructions in
particular circumstances", says Dr. Schweitzer.

Used
by midwives in rural, urban slums and isolated areas, cell phones can
also be attached to diagnostic devices, including those used for remote
fetal monitoring or remote wireless ultrasound. This lets a midwife or
health worker know in advance that a mother must get to a clinic. They
can also be used for recording births and deaths or assuring that both
women and children get the care they need when and where they need it.

"In
the near future, wireless diagnostics like stethoscopes, blood
pressure, temperature and insulin monitors, and ultrasounds will enable
remote diagnosis and treatment far from the closest doctor or clinic", says Mr. Aylward.

The
highest authorities of the National Telecommunications Corporation (CNT EP) of
the regional 2, comprised by Pichincha,
Orellana and Napo,
reported progress in the province of Orellana.

The people of this province have benefited from this service, with a remarkable
496% growth compared to 2008, where connectivity was very low. Fixed telephony
grew by 83.09% compared to 2007 and currently have this service more families.
This province has significantly increased voice and data services and, in
telephony, for example, until 2006 it had 5,584 lines and to date shows an increase
with a total of 12,224 lines distributed between several locations.

Carlos Loayza, delegate of the General Manager of the CNT EP,
reported that the Province of Orellana had 476 Internet ports in 2008 and currently
has 2,476 ports, which means an unprecedented growth. The official emphasized
that among the localities benefited comprise: Taracoa, Dayuma, Loreto, San
Sebastian del Coca, Joya de los Sachas and Coca.

The National Government, through its Ministry of Telecommunication and Information
Society, cares for the benefits that customers receive from the CNT EP, wich provides the best
care to the citizens such as: reduction of response times to customers and
delivery of service excellence to raise the levels of satisfaction and quality
of life for people throughout the Amazon community.

It should be noted that in January 2009, the CNT EP decreased to 50% the values
of calls between the 24 provinces. Now call between provinces is 0.02ctvos
dollar. This reduction helps more than 1'800,000 subscribers and the National
Telecommunication Corporation CNT EP is expected to connect all corners of the
country, not only domestically, but also internationally.

Telefónica
of Perú introduced "Online Business" (NEL), an integrated solution for
e-commerce, aimed at professionals, small and medium businesses,
allowing them to gain online presence and establish sales channels online
at very low cost, opening up interesting prospects for winning new
markets and increase their sales worldwide without the need for more
investment.

Marcelo
Echeguren, Marketing Director of SME Business Segment from Telefónica del
Perú said "Today, most SMEs do
not have Internet presence, which limits their ability to access large
markets and reduces the potential for growth and development. "Online
Business" is a turnkey solution that meets this need and reaffirms our
commitment to be partners for the development of SMEs". Business Online design tool
includes a web page, its own domain, mailboxes, a hosting, technical
support by phone and chat and modules for online payments. The latter can have a shopping cart for customers to conduct transactions with debit and credit cards.

For
launch, the service is offered free of charge during the first two
months; later, as from the third month the customer will have to pay S/.59 (20.98 US$) for their own
virtual store with shopping cart included.

Until
the end of this year, the portfolio of Education will implement the
first phase of the pilot "My Compu" in order to provide portable
computers (laptops) to 3,200 children and 172 teachers from 17
educational institutions in Cuenca, small chuchs of Monay, Totoracocha, Yanuncay
and Cañaribamba, and 622 students and 26 teachers from six schools in
La Libertad (Santa Elena), as part of its Integrated Technology System for School and Community (SITEC).

In the Government office of Cuenca was signed an agreement with the Municipality of that city for the pilot program. The service includes equipment, awareness, training and assessment, with the input of the municipality on connectivity and logistics.

A team
of teachers from schools of Neuquénin Villa La Angostura was
one of the winners of American Award for Innovative Education in the
Classroom through ICT, which recognizes those educational ventures that
successfully incorporated new technologies in the classroom. They were also awarded an initiative of Colombia and one from Mexico.

The
event, organized by the Iberoamerican Association of Research Centers
and Telecommunication Enterprises (AHCIET), highlighted the work of
Gabriela Chaparro, from the school 104 School Corazón de los Lagos, and Alejandra Lopez
and Gustavo Perea from the Special School number
18, who presented the project "Para Comunicarnos", which includes the use
of computers as an auxiliary resource to facilitate the learning of
students with disabilities.

Both
institutions will receive 35 netbooks Intel Classmate, two more than
expected, which will be split and used according to their specific
needs. Also, Ms. Chaparro said that the notebooks will be installed in their computer room, where about 500 children per year, from first to seventh grade, spend their time there.

When you really want to reduce the "digital gap" does not need money. MIN
(Child in Zapotec) is an non-profit association that seeks to provide
free technology training to the inhabitants of the state of Oaxaca.

Oaxaca is one of the states with the highest rate of illiteracy in the country. 19
percent of people under 15 years old can not read or write, so great efforts are
needed so the state gets out of the educational backwardness. MIN puts his two cents. What
they do is recycle computer equipment that many consider obsolete,
repair, install it - as GNU/Linux- free software and put available for
children and young people in disadvantaged areas where technology is
almost a luxury.

This,
in addition to helping the education of many young people, help the
environment by recycling and reuse computer waste which are highly
polluting. Its aim is also to spread the free software culture instilling his philosophy. This
software is ideal in these cases where resources are scarce and invest
in software licenses can be very costly, in addition because the low
capacity of the equipments is the only that can operate efficiently.

During
the last week of October, the Venezuelan mobile operator extended its
UMTS coverage in 14 new communities, GSM in nine villages and CDMA in
seven localities.

The
incorporation of base stations in various parts of the country, to
enable mobile communication between more users and service users,
reaffirms the commitment of Movilnet, a subsidiary of CANTV, company under
the Ministry of Popular Power for Science, Technology and Intermediate
Industries in the democratization of access to telecommunications to social justice based on the best technologies available.

Thus,
in the last week of October were activated UMTS base stations in places
with historically excluded populations such as the city of Amazonas Atures
and tourist potential areas as the Archipelago of Los Roques (Federal
Dependencies).

The UMTS
technology with multimedia capabilities, efficient and fast Internet access through HSDPA (High Speed Download Packet Access) has also
been deployed in municipalities of Independencia and San Felipe, Yaracuy
state; Guanare Portuguesa, Piar (Upata) of Bolivar, and El Silencio and the Km 9 of El Junquito in Libertador municipality of Caracas.

From this year, 98.500 people in 225 isolated rural villages from Junín, get access to public telephone services, residential and / or the Internet via broadband project for isolated locations (BAS) today reported Álvaro Badiola, general manager of Telefonica Peru. "In Junin, the BAS project, implemented by Telefónica and for the Ministry of Transportation and Communications with the funding from the Telecommunications Investment Fund (FITEL), has successfully integrated eight percent of the population of this region to the national telecommunications network", he explained.

Badiola visited Huancayo to head the board of directors of Telefonica del Peru, which met in this city in order to analyze the evolution and prospects of the telecommunications sector in Junín, where Telefonica has more than 890 thousand customers of fixed telephony, mobile telephony , Internet and Cable TV."The positive development of telecommunications in Junín responds to the good performance of the economy and businesses in the region," he said.

Finally, he said that the Program "Proniño", which fights against child labor through quality education, in Junín is benefiting almost to 2,000 children and adolescents in six educational institutions of Huancayo, Chilca and San Agustin de Cajas.

The
Vice-Minister of Telecommunications and the Information Society (Mr.
Javier Veliz), together with representatives and delegates from various
institutions responsible for promoting public safety in the country
remained the Third Coordination Meeting of the Plan of Information
and Communication Technology ICT for the Citizen Security.

At the meeting, which took place at the premises of the Ministry of Telecommunications, they analyzed the policies of the Plan, which forms part of the Digital Strategy; also they defined the conformation of the Plan Committee and the Planning Team that will represent it. At the meeting, representatives of Mintel spoke on projects developed regarding this subject. Thus, the ministerial adviser, Juan Carlos Cardoso, was involved with the issue "Ecuador Digital Strategy", the Technology Plan Manager, Architect Hugo Gonzalez, intervened on the theme "Functional Structure of the Plan" and the Director of online-Government, Econ. Julia Rodriguez, proposed programs and projects of the Plan.

These resources are applied in projects focused on prevention, mitigation and emergency response of the citizens, which are under the direction of the objectives of the National Plan for Good Living, run by the government.(Source: Mintel -Ecuador)Further details

The Government of New Zealand will look into possible mobile-learning initiatives to connect rural schools, following its announcement to subsidise the costs of ultra fast broadband.“The Ministry of Education is currently looking at how to harness the potential of digital devices that nearly all students have already – their mobile phones,” Colin McGregor, Ministry of Education, group manager of curriculum teaching and learning design, told FutureGov Asia Pacific.

“An ‘m-learning’ pilot has already been successfully implemented by Onehunga High School. The Ministry is currently supporting a second project at Howick College in partnership with Waikato University and Vodafone.”

The government has identified broadband as a significant driver for e-learning and equity in education and has committed to providing 97 per cent of schools with access to speeds of 100Mbps or more via the national fibre rollout.
The remaining 3 per cent in areas too remote for optic fibre currently receives 10Mbps via satellite or wireless technologies.

The ministry has been using the Virtual Learning Network (VLN), which provides mainly rural students with access to online courses.
In 2010, more than 2000 New Zealand students took part in these virtual classes over the VLN.

Other initiatives include the Ministry of Education’s Laptops for Teachers and Principals scheme, which subsidises the leases on laptops for permanent, full-time or part-time teachers at state and integrated schools.
The Ministry has about two thirds of the lease cost of the teacher’s laptops and fully subsidises the base model for principals. More than 43,000 laptops are currently on lease, representing an 88 per cent uptake.

The
Minister of Telecommunication and Information Society of Ecuador, Jaime Guerrero,
and the Manager of the National Telecommunications Corporation (CNT EP),
Cesar Regalado, officially handed over 8,000 telephone lines in the province of
Manabi. The event was developed in the public place of Canton El Carmen, one of the most neglected sectors of Ecuador, as
it was noted by its inhabitants.

In
order to prevent production practices, transmission and consumption of
information online that violate the development and security of minors,
confidentiality of personal information of citizens and the copyright, it was launched in Colombia the policy of responsible use of ICT. The
presentation of the initiative will take place in the framework of the
International Seminar of Digital Culture "en TIC confío" to be held
between 10 and 11 November in the city of Bogota and will be broadcast to two Latin American capitals and six cities.

The
policy of responsible use of Internet and other ICTs seek to
promote the appropriation of new technologies by Colombians and
strengthen the process of adopting them to improve their quality of
life. To
implement it, the government will create the Office of Internet users,
which will promote compliance functions of the obligations of the
industry regarding the contents and keep them informed about their
rights and duties. Address, resolve and follow up complaints and suggestions on the contents that violate the development and safety of minors. The defense will consist of an ombudsman with high academic qualifications and legal experience and a consultant.

Similarly,
the Government will implement other strategies for the implementation
of the policy of responsible use of Internet and other ICTs, such as: Protection Program of minors online, masive communication program "I trust in ICT" ("en TIC confío"), Online advice service of prevention and crime reporting, Legal status for the protection of personal information and good name of individuals in line, Legal status for the protection of intellectual property, Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce and International Seminar of Digital Culture "I trust in TIC".

Mr.
Javier Veliz spoke at the official inauguration of the First Congress
on Education and Information and Communication Technologies held at the
premises of FLACSO in Quito, in order to promote the appropriate use of
ICT. The
congress was attended by over 500 teachers from public and private
schools from different provinces of Ecuador, who were benefited from the
knowledge imparted by the discussion of the effective use of ICT through
the discussion in groups and forums, in person and virtual, because
the event was transmitted via the web channel of FLACSO, which ensured
that not only inform the attendees on the progress of science and
technology in education.

The ViceMinister of Telecommunication and Information Society spoke
about the globalization of Information and Communication Technology and
its proper use. In his speech he
highlighted the projects undertaken by Mintel Infocenters, highlighting
that this project allowed to the community to learn the use of new
technologies. Through this projects the community receives equipments,
connectivity, digital literacy processes and training to eliminate
the digital gap, and foster use of ICT in an inclusive manner.

With
an investment of about 5.5 billion pesos, "Vive Digital" aims to give
Colombia a technological leap over the next four years through the mass
of internet and digital ecosystem development of the country. The
Plan, wich will be the government policy on ICT over the next four years, was
presented by the President, accompanied by the entire cabinet of
ministers.

The Plan will promote
the expansion of infrastructure, building services, application
development and technology appropriation by users. This
effort is possible thanks to partnerships with private sector
initiatives and advanced technology used by all ministries and headed
by the President of the Republic, Juan Manuel Santos.

The announcement of the Digital Living Plan was made by the government team within the conference ANDICOM organized by CINTEL. Regarding to this point the ICT Minister, Diego Molano Vega, said: "Our commitment as a
government will encourage the mass use of the Internet to make a leap
toward democratic prosperity. It is
shown that the use of ICT tools in the life of every citizen, has a
great influence on competitiveness and the development of a country".

To
carry out the plan, the government will form a Technology Council
coordinated by the President of the Republic with the participation of
officials from various government and private sector representatives,
who will make a detailed analizy and will the scope the goals of "Vive Digital". The
formulation of the Digital Living momentum started since
2007 with the ICT Plan, in which more than 13,000 Colombians participated from
different regions of the country, with the aim of contributing to the
formulation of a plan of mass of use of ICT.Goals and actions of "Vive Digital":As
part of measures envisaged for the first 100 days, the ICT
Ministry has to introduce the plan "Vive Digital", the technology plan for the next four years,
which are established as specific targets for mass internet in 2014:* Go from 27% to 50% of households and from 7% to 50% of SMEconnected to Internet * Multiply by four Internet connections (which mean go from 2.2 to 8.8 million connections).*
Triple the number of municipalities connected to Broadband through optical fiber networks (from about 200 to 700
municipalities).

To achieve these
goals, the Digital Living Plan will develop the digital ecosystem in
the country in the following dimensions: infrastructure, services,
applications and users, on which will meet specific goals.Source: MINTIC - ColombiaFurther details

On
21 October, was held the first meeting of the ICT Plan for Public Safety,
as part of the Implementation of the Strategy: Ecuador Digital, by the Ministry
of Telecommunication and Information Society (Mintel).

Participants
who attended the meeting, the Plan Committee members, representing the
Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Society were: Mr. Hugo
Gonzalez, manager of the ICT Plan for Public Safety; Ec. Julia
Rodriguez, director of Online Government, Mr. Alonso Llanos, Director of Broadcasting, Mr. Carlos Freire and Carlos Fernandez as staff members. Also, as a member of the National Planning Secretariat (Senplades) attended the meeting Bolivar Quishpe.

In this meeting, the participants reviewed the methodology to use to enter the
Policies, Programs and Projects of the Plan in question, which aims to
improve the level of public safety through the use of Information and
Communication Technologies, in line with what is stipulated in the National Plan of Good Living. For
the Government is important to coordinate
actions to strengthen policies for the provision of connectivity,
equipment, and digital content readiness.

Through
the placement of more than 15 kilometers of optical fiber and about 5
000 ports "Aba", the state telecommunications company provides to Venezuela
with quality and efficiency of Internet services.

Cantv,
as Venezuelan state-owned company committed to the Bolivarian
government guidelines give the people the greatest sum of happiness
possible. In this way, between April and August 2010, the Information
and CommunicationTechnology joined to remote communities in the states of Lara, Bolivar and Tachira. Also, important towns as Santa Elena de Uairen in Bolivar State, Michelena
Tachira and the area of Crepúsculo de Lara, which remained outside the country's
technological development, now have Internet services, thanks to the
fiber optical and the Aba port placement by Cantv.

The
telecommunications company, as a sovereign act of mass technology and
services in these communities, installed more than 15 kilometers of
optical fiber and about 5 000 Aba ports, allowing growth of the
telecommunications sector throughout the country. Having
a Community Communications Center (CDC Community), a Infocenter,
Bolivarian Centers of Informatics and Telematics (CBIT), Equipped Internet Plans and connecting to State agencies; are some of the
benefits offered by installing this fiber optic cable by Cantv.

"I come to report about a project that you know, that is the subject of submarine cable. I came to inform it because the project had a very interesting twist", noted Mario Esquivel (owner of the company Copaco), he gave this report at the presidential residence. "Do You
remember that the Paraguayan proposal was that the cable, to reach
Buenos Aires, switch back by Paraguay and Bolivia, and back out to the
Pacific Ocean", he said.

The
owner of Copaco, with President Fernando Lugo Esquivel
announced on Tuesday 26th and Wednesday 27th October meeting in San
Pablo, Brazil, representatives of companies in the Southern Cone
countries considered an alternative that enhances the project. He mentioned that the alternative is to create a regional network to
join the submarine cable, a network for Paraguay, Bolivia, Chile,
Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. Regarding to this point, he said that the business representatives from each of these
countries will analyze and design a technical project for a regional Network.

"This is what I came to
inform to the President because I felt that is a very interesting topic
for the country and the region because it greatly enriches the
project", he said that when the project will materialize, Paraguay
will have direct access to nodes or points of global connections at lower cost and faster.

Electronic Government and Electronic Commerce, were analyzed at the Virtual Cabinet meeting held at the "Palacio de Carondelet", chaired by the President of the Republic, Rafael Correa. "Soon we will see the results, is the main project, perhaps from the public administration", said the President. This is a computer system which will be useful for trade massively as well as the attention of Government to citizens, through the use of new technologies. The goal of electronic government is the transformation into a model of public administration, based on the use and development of Information and Communication Technology.

The
President explained that according to international indicator,
Ecuador is located in the eighth position among Latin American countries, while worldwide it is in 95 posision among 192 countries. The Electronic
Commerce, for its part will let the systematization of various
formalities, such as business creation, taxes, loans, licenses, procurement, employment agencies, among others.

Currently
it is in process the agreements between Ecuador and Argentina,
Cuba, Chile, Spain, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru and
Uruguay, to process universal orders.

About 10 million people in Colombia have internet access, but the information contained in web pages is accessible?. Web
accessibility refers to the characteristics and conditions that must
have documents and Internet pages that can be accessed by different
users, regardless of their physical, sensory, cognitive or
technological.Nowadays the citizens' access to Internet, to new information technologies and
communication, is considered a factor of economic growth and social
inclusion throughout the world. In
Colombia, the State forward strategies to ensure that all citizens can
access information and services and transactions online, available on
the websites of the State.

One
of them is the creation of the Standards Committee, which includes
representatives of the Colombian Institute of Technical Standards and
Certification (ICONTEC), the Ministry of Information and
Communications Technologies (MINTIC), the National Institute for the Blind (INCI), the
National Institute for Deaf people (INSOR), La Salle University, the University District and National
Open (UNAD); The United Nations Program for Development (UNDP), the
Government Online program, Astrolabe and Colnodo.

As
part of the actions taken by that Committee, they made available to the
public knowledge the project "Technical Standards for
Accessibility of web pages in Colombia", which seeks to establish
accessibility requirements to be implemented on Web pages of the Country . The
rule raises a number of technical tools (hardware and software) that
will remove barriers for access to online information and use the
information technology. Similarly, the rule seeks technical guidance to national government agencies and businesses in general to approach to this issue, web accessibility.

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